Xu Nian quickly arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion was where Qinglin Academy stored its Combat Techniques, Combat Skills, Body Techniques, and Gang Skills.
Combat Techniques were the cultivation methods practiced by Spiritual Cultivators, and the quality of a Combat Technique directly affected a Spiritual Cultivator's future achievements and the speed of cultivation.
Combat Skills were the abilities used by Spiritual Cultivators, allowing them to unleash their maximum power.
Thus, for Spiritual Cultivators, Combat Techniques and Combat Skills played a critically important role.
For example, the Ling Feng Dominating Battle Technique that Xu Nian was currently cultivating was a very basic one, suitable only for the Warrior Level and not appropriate past the Star Realm.
As for Body Techniques and Gang Skills, these were for Body Cultivators, and their significance was much the same as Combat Techniques and Combat Skills for Spiritual Cultivators.
The reason Xu Nian came to the Scripture Pavilion at this time was to find a Combat Technique and Combat Skill suitable for himself.
Although the Ling Feng Dominating Battle Technique was a decent basic-level Combat Technique, it lacked specificity. The most crucial aspect of a Combat Technique's quality was its emphasis.
For instance, the Qin Family's Welkin Power was a Cultivation Technique that emphasized strength and solidity. Though the cultivation process was slow, the solid foundation ensured there was no risk of instability or cultivation deviation.
Similarly, Murong Xue's chosen Combat Skill clearly leaned towards lightness and agility, hence the ethereal and graceful quality that always seemed to surround her.
Right now, Xu Nian was searching for a Combat Technique that matched his own temperament, as an incompatible Combat Technique could drastically slow down his cultivation progress.
The Scripture Pavilion had three levels, which housed the secret manuals of Yellow, Xuan, and Earth levels of Combat Techniques, Combat Skills, and the like.
The first floor shelves were filled with all Yellow-level secret manuals. It wasn't that Xu Nian didn't want to access the second floor; he simply didn't have the qualifications.
To enter the second floor, one needed ten thousand points. Xu Nian only had a total of one thousand nine hundred points, including his own and the one thousand he had won, so he didn't even need to think about the second floor.
In the first-floor Combat Technique area, Xu Nian browsed through the Combat Techniques on the shelves, occasionally picking up an interesting summary to glance through.
After two hours of meticulous selection, he finally picked out three Combat Techniques that piqued his interest.
The first Combat Technique was called the Xuantian Technique, a Yellow-level Top Grade worth five hundred points.
This Xuantian Technique was somewhat similar to their Qin Family's Welkin Power, a durability-enhancing technique, although not as high-grade as Welkin Power; it was nonetheless a decent lower-level Combat Technique.
The second Combat Technique was the Spirit Rhinoceros Sword, a Yellow-level Top Grade, valued at six hundred points.
This Spirit Rhinoceros Sword was a swordsmanship Combat Technique. After cultivating this method, the Spiritual Energy concentrated within one's body would become remarkably sharp, making the practice of swordsmanship skills twice as effective.
As Xu Nian intended to pursue the path of a Sword Cultivator, the Spirit Rhinoceros Sword was the perfect base Combat Technique for him to condense his Qi Sea. Additionally, this Spirit Rhinoceros Sword came with an accompanying swordsmanship Combat Skill, enabling him to choose another Combat Skill with his remaining points.
However, Xu Nian's attention soon shifted to the third Combat Technique.
This Combat Technique was quite peculiar, with its name "Dan Sea Species Green Lotus" sounding neither mighty nor imposing but instead carrying a poetic charm.
What caught Xu Nian's eye was that the summary of this method actually read: "This method is an incomplete text, only including the Basic-level Warrior Chapter and Star Realm Chapter, and is suspected to enhance Spiritual Cultivation Talent, resembling a Heavenly-level Combat Technique."
Upon reading this, Xu Nian's first reaction was disbelief. How could there exist a method that enhanced Spiritual Cultivation Talent?
But if it were true, then this method was unquestionably a Heavenly-level Technique or even the legendary Divine-level.
However, a note below that line read: "Although this method is formidable, in a thousand years, no one in the Academy has succeeded in cultivating it. Therefore, this incomplete volume is classified as Yellow-level Top Grade, valued at six hundred points. Choosers should consider carefully."
Xu Nian was speechless. If no one had succeeded in a thousand years, how could they know it enhanced one's talent?
And yet, for some reason, Xu Nian couldn't bring himself to discard this method.
His gaze traveled between Dan Sea Species Green Lotus and Spirit Rhinoceros Sword. He completely abandoned the thought of the Xuantian Technique, but these two made for a tough choice.
In the end, Xu Nian chose the Dan Sea Species Green Lotus. He decided to take a gamble—if it really was as the summary stated, he would have hit the jackpot.
Afterward, Xu Nian chose two Combat Skills. They were the Yellow-level Top Grade swordsmanship skill Ling Feng Thirteen Swords and the movement skill Gale Dragon Step.
Originally, Xu Nian also wanted to pick a fist-based Combat Skill, but after selecting these three items, he realized he only had a hundred points left and could only give up reluctantly.
As for Gang Skills, although Xu Nian also desired them, he decided to suppress his wish to avoid exposing his Body Cultivation.
When Xu Nian handed over his choices of Combat Techniques and Skills to the Elder in charge, the old man with snowy hair and cloudy eyes looked up at Xu Nian and asked, "Are you sure you want this Combat Technique?"
Xu Nian nodded and passed over his Identity Jade.
The old man hesitated for a moment and then borrowed the jade, wiping off the one thousand eight hundred points from it. He handed over the copies of the Combat Technique and the two Combat Skills to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian was quite surprised by this action.
Just a moment ago, the elder had nothing in his hands, but with a flip of his palm, three secret manuals appeared.
A storage ring!
Xu Nian instantly thought of this precious artifact that had been legendary throughout the Tianhen Continent and felt amazement and envy in his heart.
Taking the secret manuals, Xu Nian bid farewell to the elder and then returned to his residence.
His time was running out; he had only three days.
Transforming a Combat Technique would be impossible in less than ten days to half a month, and as Dan Sea Species Green Lotus was particularly difficult to cultivate, he did not know how long it would take. Thus, Xu Nian decided to prioritize the two Combat Skills, increasing his ability to protect himself when out on missions.
But mastering two Combat Skills was not easy either. Not to mention the secrets and intricacies of both Combat Skills requiring a great deal of time to comprehend, just becoming proficient in the techniques required significant effort.
For others, mastering the techniques without a couple of months would be impossible, but Xu Nian thought of mastering both Combat Skills within three days.
If others knew what he was thinking, who knows what they would make of it?
Over the next three days, Xu Nian locked himself in the small courtyard and practiced strenuously without ever stepping foot outside, until on the third day he changed into clean clothes and stepped out of the courtyard door.